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Shrike
The Shrike was a four-armed, bipedal creature, who can travel in time. The Shrike got its name from the little bird of the same name which impales its prey on the thorns of trees. The Shrike had a special tree for his victims: it was made of chrome steel, and had three meter long thorns, and the victims didn't die impaled on the tree, but they felt the pain. Martin Silenus and his patron, Sad King Billy were also captured and impaled on the tree. The Shrike itself was an artificial life form, made of chrome steel and had a cruel design whith blades and thorns on its whole body. It had glowing red eyes and a mouth full of steel teeth. The creature was obviously made for killing and destruction, and was feared amongst the citizens of Hyperion, where it lived. The Srike travels through The Void Which Binds. It uses the Void perform true farcasting through space and time - the one which is done by merging with the Void (similarily to Aenea's farcasting) instead of tearing apart through it (similar to the way farcasters work). It is therefore capable of vanishing and reappearing instantly anywhere and and at any point of time. It is also competent of movement in fast time, which enables it to slaughter or capture its victims before they can resist. The Shrike's ability to use the Void comes from its master(s) - at first, the Technocore group called "the butchers", and later (or before, since the Shrike moves through time), either the Ultimate Intelligence or the Lions and Tigers and Bears (unknown which exactly). Cultural effects on the WorldWeb The presence of the Shrike on Hyperion was the starting point of some religious changes in the Hegemony. The Church of the Final Atonement is based on the apperiance of the Shrike which they call the "Lord of Pain". The Church gained more and more followers, but by the time the Ousters launched an attack against the Hyperion system, riots started against the Church, their churches on Hyperion had been destroyed and their priests persecuted. After the Ouster attack agaist the web the popularity of the Church had risen again, people saw the war as the punishment against humankind. Not only the new Church of the Final Atonement was effected by the arrival of the Shrike as the retribution of men, but the Templar Brotherhood also. The True Voice of the Worldtree Sek Hadreen shared the opinion and sent Het Masteen to the last pilgrimage on Hyperion with an erg to pilot the tree of the Shrike. Real origins The Shrike's origin is not really clear. Once it was suggested that it was created in the far future by the Ultimate Intelligence. But then in the book "Rise of Endymion" Annea says that one of the countless factions of the Technocore called the "Reapers" create it in the far future. After Fedmahn Kassad's fight with the Shrike in the far future, the Reapers will use the violent and soldier aspects of Fedmahn Kassad's personality and DNA, then mutate, twist, and incorporate them into forging the Shrike (this poses a paradox which is never addressed by Simmons). Then the Shrike will be sent back in time in the Time Tombs on Hyperion, and will be accompanied by Moneta, the mysterious human female.